John Dryden Public School
Home of the Dolphins
“Preparing for the Future by Caring for Today”
A P R I L
7 , 2 0 1 7
ADMINISTRATORS’ MESSAGE
John Dryden P.S.
40 Rolling Acres Drive
Whitby, Ontario
905-434-7400
905-434-5363 FAX
johndrydenPS.ddsb.ca
Sue Lunn
Principal
Hayley Aiken
Vice Principal
Sonia Khoury
Kim Smith
Admin. Assistants
Jim Markovski
Superintendent
905-666-5500
Greg Island
Admin. Officer
905-666-5500
It’s hard to believe that it’s April already! March was such a short
month but it was jam-packed with activities. Students auditioned for
the Talent Show which will take place later this month. They have
been practicing each week along with our folk dance club and our
dance troupe. Junior girls’ and boys’ basketball teams have started
playing their first games and rugby is just starting for the Intermediates. There are many clubs and activities on the go; cup stacking,
robotics, Lego, ecology, photography and movie club to name a few.
Both Junior and Intermediate students have been getting ready for
“Battle of the Books” competitions which begin later this month.
We recognized Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd. The students at
John Dryden are learning about Autism and colouring in puzzle pieces
which are being used by Student Council members to create a large
heart shaped mural on the wall outside of the library.
The John Dryden staff is excited to announce that we will be holding
a “Math Night” for all of our parents and students on Wednesday,
May 3rd from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. everyone is invited to come and
work through some math activities, participate in Number Talks and
learn about EQAO. The band, choir and dance troupe will be performing in the gym at the beginning of the event, and there will be a
raffle for door prizes. We hope to see many of our families there!
Sue Lunn, Principal
Hayley Aiken, Vice-Principal
WHOO ARE DOING GREAT THINGS AT DRYDEN!
Whitby Trustees
Kimberly Zeppieri
905-668-7782
Christine Winters
905-430-6050
Congratulations to the following students who
have received a Principal’s Award for being excellent John Dryden citizens by making good
choices, having good manners, being committed,
being kind, having integrity, showing teamwork,
being good helpers, demonstrating good leadership and
having school spirit: Brennan, Kaleo, Rachel, Faith, Shiraz, Katelynn, Paige, Chloe, Hannah, Lyla, Neveah, Conor, Mac, Jaziah,
Abdel, Trey, Alisha, Bre, Cayden, Sydney, Jena, Cass, Kalasia,
Teraji, Amber, Brooklyn, Keira, Tyler, Savannah, Suloanya &
Kai ..…Way to go!
School Informa on
CLASS PLACEMENTS
It’s hard to believe we are already thinking of next year. Shortly teachers and administration
will be looking at class placements for next year. Many factors are involved in the placement of
students, including the ratio of boys and girls, the balance of academic strengths and needs,
different learning styles. It is often September before staffing assignments are finalized,
however, adjustments to classes and teaching assignments can happen right into the fall. In all
cases we strive to reach the best placement decision for each child. While we know a substantial amount about each student, there may be information or considerations that you, as parents, may want to contribute, such as academic needs, preferred learning environments or
medical issues. You are welcome to submit a letter addressed to John Dryden PS outlining your
input. This letter must be received no later than Friday, May 19th. The responsibility for the
final decision on class placement rests with the administration.
Registration for
French Immersion in
September is ongoing.
GRADE 1 FI INFORMATION MEETING
FI information day at John Dryden PS is May 17th at 12:30 pm for children who have already
pre-registered for grade 1 FI at John Dryden PS. Parents are to bring their children with
them on that day so they are able to see what a typical grade 1 FI class is like. Thursday, April 20, 2017
at 7:00 p.m.
DDSB Education Centre
School Informa on
NEW BELL TIMES FOR SEPTEMBER
The NEW bell times for John Dryden PS for September
2017 will be as follows:
Morning start time: 8:30 am
Afternoon dismissal time: 3:05 pm
School Informa on
Intermediate Art Club and ProAction Cops and Kids Joined Program
The Intermediate Art Club has a new sponsor this year. Constable Rebecca Ruttan, our
School Resource Officer became involved with our club and as a result we have received almost $3000 in grant money to purchase art supplies.
What is ProAction Cops and Kids?
ProAction Cops and Kids is an organization that supports and
funds programs being run by Police Officers across Ontario. The
mission is to bring Cops and Kids together in skill-building and
mentoring programs to create trust, respect and safer communities. Through ProAction we hope to create core values of: Trust,
Diversity, Collaboration and Accountability. Officers engages
with youth to provide opportunities that otherwise youth may not be involved in.
Constable Ruttan selected three of our art pieces and had them sold at the auction supporting ProAction Cops and Kids. We are very proud of our intermediate artists: Shea, Chloe,
Kate, and Rija who submitted their artwork to generate funds for the organization.
Created by the student council
School Informa on
EQAO INFORMATION FOR
GRADE 3 AND 6 CLASSES
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) will be conducting the
assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics involving all Grade 3 and
Grade 6 students throughout the province of Ontario. The assessment will be
held over a three day period for each grade. It is very important that your
Grade 3 and/or 6 child be in attendance at school on the following assessment
dates:
Primary Dates: May 24th to May 26
Junior Dates: May 29th to May 31st
In order for students to achieve their best results on the EQAO assessment, it
is important that they are well rested and arrive to school on time during assessment dates. The school will be providing a nutritious snack for the students
writing the assessment.
More information about EQAO assessment and samples of previous tests,
please visit www.eqao.com.
Anishinabemowin Land Based Language Program
In an effort to support the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions
Calls to Actions 13 and 14, highlighting the need to preserve, revitalize, and strengthen Aboriginal languages, the First Nation, Métis and
Inuit Education Department will be hosting a 7 week Anishinabemowin (Ojibwe) Land Based Language Program for Indigenous families and community members. This program will be offered at Nonquon Outdoor Education Centre from 4-6 pm beginning on April 13.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Erin Elmhurst, First Nations, Metis
and Inuit Education Officer, @ [email protected] or (905) 666 6301.
School Informa on
Dates of Significance for April
April 9
April 10-17
April 13
April 13-14
April 14
April 16
April 16
April 21
April 22
April 24
April 29
- Palm Sunday (Christian)
- Pesach (Passover 1st two days) (Judaism)
- Holy Thursday (Christian)
– Baisakhi/Vaisakhi (Sikhism)
- Good Friday (All Christian)
- Pascha (Easter) (Orthodox Christianity)
- Easter (All Christian)
- Ridvan (1st Day) (Baha’i)
- International Earth Day
- Yom HaSoah (Day of the Holocaust) (Judaism)
- 9th Day of Ridvan (Baha’i)
Next SCC Meeting is April 20th @ 6:30 PM
SCC DANCE-A-THON
Highlights The annual John Dryden Dance-a-thon was held March 8
th
.
Thank you to all parents, family and friends who pledged their
students! And thank you to all the volunteers who made this
year’s dance such a great success!
A very special thank you to all of our sponsors for their wonderful donations. Including:
4 Cats Studio
Almost Perfect
Bird Kingdom
Bang Bang Burrito
Black Creek Pioneer Village
Blue Jays Baseball
Brimacombe
Mrs, Brimble (Teacher)
Mrs. Cameron (Teacher)
Canadian Automotive Museum Canadian Tire
Centreville
Cheer Strong
The Connors Family
Cupcake Junkie
Daphne’s Hair Den
Deer Creek Golf Course
Eastside Marios
Firken Pub
The Georgiadis Family
Glama Gals
ICKF Karate School
Jamberry Nails
The Johns Family
Jungle Cat World
Kids Zone
The LeRiche Family
The Lewis Family
LiveAct Theatre
Los Cabos Cantina
The MacElhaney Family
The Madhavejee Family
Marineland
Mary Kay Cosmetics
The Mauch Family
MCO Orthodontists
Melanie Pringles
Mount Lawn Funeral Home
National Ballet
NEBS Funworld
Niagara Parks
The Niblett Family
North Garden Dental
Old Spaghetti Factory
Ontario Regimental Museum
Ontario Science Centre
Oshawa Zoo
Petley Hare Insurance
Regent Theatre
Robert McLaughlin Gallery
Royal Ontario Museum
S Capers Break out Zone
Shamrocks Pub
SkyZone
Station Gallery
TJX Canada
Toppers Pizza
Toronto Historical Sits
Toronto Maple Leafs
Town of Whitby
Tranquility Matters
Valentino’s
The Webster Family
Whitby Lions Club
Whitby School of Music
The Wiley Family
John Dryden P.S.
40 Rolling Acres Drive
Whitby, Ontario
L1R 2A1
905-434-7400
905-434-5365 FAX
www.johndrydenPS.ddsb.ca
Character Trait for
April is:
I am truthful and sincere.
Je suis sincère et je dis
toujours la vérité.
Extra Clothing for Your
Due to our weather conditions of late, many
students have needed a change of clothes
due to slipping in puddles
mud.
For your convenience, please pack some extra clothing for your child to keep at school.
This will prevent us
interrupting your
day and your child will be a
lot more
"Follow us on Twitter @JohnDrydenPS"
DATES TO REMEMBER
Apr 10
Apr 13
Apr 14
Apr 16
Apr 17
Apr 19
Apr 20
Apr 24
Apr 25
Apr 25
Apr 27
Apr 28
May 3
May 3
May 4
May 5
May 9
May 11
- Scientist in the school—Grade 1
- Talent Show—pm
- Good Friday
- Easter Sunday
- Easter Monday—no school
- Battle of the Books—junior
- SCC meeting 6:30 pm
- Drumming (Nancy Hamerstahl)
- Battle of the Books - Jr/Int
- HPV, & Hep B vaccinations
- Battle of the Books—final
- Primary Celebration of Success—Per 1 & 2
- Family Math Night—6 to 7:30 pm
- Hippie Day
- Racing Against Drugs—Grade 5
- PA DAY—NO SCHOOL
- Track and Field Day
- Kindergarten Orientation Evening—6 pm
GOOD
EASTER
FRIDAY
MONDAY
Friday
Monday
April 14th
April 17th
No School
No School
MOVING???
If you know you will be moving or registering your
child at another school for September please let
our office know as soon as possible. This will assist us in planning for 2017-2018.
Our next newsletter will be published on May 4, 2017